JAMES CITY — James City County brought in the telecommunications company Shentel to increase choice for residents seeking a high-speed broadband service.
But while more than 14,000 homes are on course to be connected by early next year, not all residents are fans of the company’s contractors, sparking some complaints to the county Board of Supervisors.
Chris Kyle, vice president of industry affairs, addressed some of the concerns when he spoke to the board on Tuesday.
Kyle described the company’s Glo Fiber as “the gold standard in our industry.” He said 6,581 homes in James City County have been hooked up to high-speed broadband to date, leaving 8,058 to be linked to the network by the first quarter of 2025.
Notwithstanding the progress, some supervisors expressed concern about Glo Fiber’s contractors.
“I have heard a fair amount from folks about their concerns,” said supervisor John McGlennon. “In the case of Shentel, we’ve seen a couple of instances that were concerning … where there was some damage.”
McGlennon said the company had been responsive but citizens wanted to get answers when a problem was occurring.
“I haven’t heard from the district that I represent of people getting prior notification and that’s been a big complaint that I’ve had,” he said. He said residents are also concerned about gardens being destroyed.
There has also been an issue concerning the dumping of soil on National Park Service land, McGlennon said.
Board Chair Ruth Larson said the lack of prior notification has been an issue in her district, too. She said utility lines were cut in some cases.
Kyle admitted the company had missed making some prior notifications to neighborhoods and urged residents who experience issues to contact Glo Fiber via its website — glofiber.com —or via 866-997-6474.
“We did have a contractor here that’s been dismissed that we think has caused some of the questions, that was not doing the proper door hanging and prior communication,” Kyle said. He said a new contractor has been brought in for the project.
“We want to fix this while we deliver on this multimillion-dollar investment,” Kyle told the board. “If we damage something we are going to fix it.”
James City County’s Board of Supervisors approved the Shenandoah Telecommunications Company (Shentel’s) Glo Fiber’s contract in 2021 after residents expressed concern about Cox Communications’ monopoly in the county.
“The citizens are benefitting from this multimillion-dollar investment we are making in James City County,” Kyle said.
David Macaulay, Davidmacaulayva@gmail.com
